Witten set to move up all-time tight end chart

Jason Witten is on target to reach a significant milestone in his career today.

The Cowboys Pro Bowl tight end needs two catches to pass Hall of Famer Ozzie Newsome (662) for the third-most receptions by a tight end in NFL history.

Atlanta’s Tony Gonzales is first with 1,108. Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe is second with 815.

Given that wide receiver Miles Austin is out with a hamstring injury, Witten will probably get plenty of chances against Buffalo on Sunday.

“I said a while back it’s kind of surreal to think about passing a guy like that,” Witten said of Newsome in a conference call Monday. “Until Tony came along, he was the greatest tight end. He and (Hall of Famer) John Mackey were the staples of what this position is all about. It will be special to be able to do that, but, at the same time, you are so intent on winning games that you don’t have time to look back at it.

“When I came into this league, I never thought about something like that. I just thought about getting better and better and better, so that’s my mentality.”

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett is confident that Witten will one day have a bronze bust next to Newsome and Mackey in Canton, Ohio.

“Ozzie Newsome clearly was one of the great players to play in this league, certainly one of the elite tight ends, a Hall of Famer,” Garrett said at a news conference in Irving. “To put that in context is simply, Wit is playing himself into that category. Anytime you’re talking about a seven-time Pro Bowler who catches about 80, 85, 90 balls a year, you’re talking about one of the best guys to play.”

Garrett said Witten is the consummate professional.

“As productive as he’s been, as talented as he is, what separates him is his approach to the game,” Garrett said. “He loves it. He’s competitive. His attention to detail, his desire to be great individually is really unsurpassed. He’s a great guy to have on our football team. He’s a great example for me as a coach, for our coaching staff, to use to our other players. When you have leaders like that who are so productive and so good, it’s easy to say, ‘Watch what Witten does.’ That helps you as a coach.

“He’s certainly been a great teammate and a great part of this organization for a long time.”